Producing quality hydraulic concrete or cement requires proper curing. Curing increases concrete strength, hence structural value. Proper curing is necessary for producing water-tight, durable concrete.
Curing involves chemical changes that result in setting and hardening. These chemical changes occur over a considerable period of time in the presence of water. Water retention is important in the curing of hydraulic concretes, i.e., concretes that are dependent on a hydration reaction for hardening, and concretes that are bound with hydraulic concretes. Thus, concrete must be kept wet after it has set for as long a period as is practicable.
The most common hydraulic cement for construction purposes is Portland cement. Portland cement is a heat-treated mixture primarily of calcium carbonate-rich material, such as limestone, marl or chalk, and material that is rich in Al2SiO2, such as clay or shale. Portland cement comes in several varieties that are distinguished by such characteristics as the rate of acquiring strength during curing, the amount of heat of hydration generated, and resistance to sulfate attack. Other types of hydraulic cements include aluminous cement, chalcedony cement, which is made from amorphous quartz, and Roman cement, which combines burnt clay or volcanic ash with lime and sand.
“Concrete” describes a mixture of stone, gravel or brushed rock and sand, referred to as “aggregate,” which is bound by a cement. As used herein, “concrete” includes reinforced concrete, concrete that contains organic or silica-based fibers or metallic wire, cable or rods as a reinforcing substance, and polymer-cement concrete that is bound with Portland cement and a polymerized monomer or resin system. Hydraulic concrete and cement are referred to herein as “concrete.” Additional information on the composition and characteristics of concrete may be found in Basic Construction Materials by C. A. Herubin and T. W. Narotta, third edition, Reston Book, Englewood, N.J., which is incorporated herein by reference.
While curing concrete may be water dependent, too much water can interfere with curing. When concrete is freshly poured, the water content thereof may be higher than that which is optimal for proper curing. Thus, some water loss during curing can be useful. However, if water loss during curing is too great, the cured concrete will exhibit reduced strength. Excess drying during curing can lead to surface crack formation.
Maintaining an optimal amount of water in contact with curing concrete optimizes the strength and durability of the concrete. For example, if concrete is kept wet for the first ten days after setting, strength and durability thereof increase 75 percent over ordinary aging at dry surface conditions. Consequently, slowing the rate of evaporative water loss from curing concrete is a widely recognized goal.
Inconsistent coverage on a curing surface, i.e. permitting bubbles or voids to occur between the curing blanket and the curing concrete surface, promotes localized surface weaknesses and discoloration.
A method for controlling excessive drying of curing concrete includes drenching with water the forms and surfaces intended for receiving the fresh concrete prior to pouring, then dampening the curing concrete with frequent sprinklings after pouring.
Another method for controlling excessive drying during curing includes, following initial wetting of the surface of freshly poured concrete, such as by applying water as a spray, mist or steam, covering the concrete with a moisture barrier. Typical moisture barriers have included burlap and cotton mats, wet rugs, moist earth or sand, sawdust and other objects likely to act as a moisture barrier. Some of these other objects have included water-proof papers and plastic films.
A further method for controlling excessive drying during curing includes applying a liquid membrane-forming composition. The composition typically contains natural or synthetic waxes or resins and a volatile carrier solvent. The composition forms, after volatilization of the carrier solvent, a moisture barrier that slows the rate of moisture loss from concrete.
Concrete curing blankets exist for covering water-wetted concrete and extending the duration of damp conditions on the curing surface thereof. One blanket is formed of coarse, woven burlap fibers carried by a thermoplastic sheet heat sealed or melted onto the fabric. Burlap blankets pose many problems including exhibiting hydrophillically greasiness, large void areas that promote non-uniform concrete surface wetting, stiffness and non-resiliency that prevents conformity to surface irregularities, and fibers that snag on concrete surfaces, which may lead to undesired markings.
Another curing blanket specifically excludes hydrophillic fibers as being prone to rot and absorb water that should wet the concrete. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,137, issued Nov. 27, 1984, to R. L. White for Concrete Curing Blanket. 
What is needed is a curing blanket that maintains a uniform relative humidity environment of 100% against a curing concrete surface and conforms to irregular surfaces thereof.